Knob attachment



(No Model.)

I. H. RICHARDS. KNOB ATTACHMENT.

No. 662,420. Patented June 23, 1896.

VIZ/27265555:

INBREW RCRMAM. Puma-mac WASHINGTON. 0 CV UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

FRANCIS H. RICHARDS, OF HARTFORD, CONNECTICUT.

KNOB ATTACHMENT.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 562,420, dated J was 23, 1896.

Application filed October 11, 1894.

T0 at whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, FRANCIS H. RICHARDS, a citizen of the United States, residing at Hartford, in the county of Hartford and State of Connecticut, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Knob Attach ments, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to couplings of that class adapted for securing hubs, knobs, and like parts upon spindles and similar carriers, the object being to furnish an improved connecting device of this general class in which a compressible member is adapted to be secured upon a carrier by-a clamping action exerted by cam devices interposed between said compressible member and a resistance member cooperating therewith, and which cam devices act substantially transversely relatively to said members.

In the drawings accompanying and forming a part of this specification, Figure 1 is a rear elevation of a door-knob furnished with my present improvements and in operative relation with a cooperating knob-spindle. Fig. 2 is a central longitudinal section of the same in line a a, Fig. 1, the spindle being shown, in elevation. Fig. 3 is a side elevation of the door-knob and the compressible stem secured thereto. Fig. 4 is a rear elevation of a portion of the same. Fig. 5 is a side elevation of a resistance member or clamping-sleeve cooperating with said compressible stem. Fig. 6 is an end elevation of the same. Fig. 7 is a rear elevation, on an enlarged scale, corresponding with Fig. 4. Fig. 8 is a similar view corresponding with Fig. 6. Fig. 9 is a rear elevation, on an enlarged scale, of a doorknob, illustrating a modification of the compressible stem. Fig. 10 is an end elevation, on an enlarged scale, of a modified form of clamping-sleeve adapted to cooperate with the compressible stem shown inFig. 9. Fig. 11 is a rear elevation, on an enlarged scale, of a spindle, a compressible knob-stem, and a clamping-sleeve, illustrating another modification of my invention.

Similar characters designate like parts in all of the figures.

My present invention comprises, in combination with a spindle or similar carrier, a

compressible member or stem mounted upon erial No. 525,571. (No model.)

and havinglongitudinally-disposed andtransversely-acting cam-faces, preferably formed upon portions of said compressible member or stem, and a resistance member or clamping-sleeve having reversely-formed, longitudinally-disposed and transversely-actingcamfaces adapted to cooperate with the corresponding cam-faces of the compressible member and to compress said member to lock the same to the carrier or spindle.

The spindle Sis shown herein as of the usual squared cross-sectional form and of the same area of cross-section throughout its length. The door-knob K is also shown in Figs. 1, 3, 4, and 7 as having a stem 6, preferably integral with said knob and traversed longitudinally,preferably throughout the entire length thereof, by central transversely-disposed intersecting bifurcations or slits 6, which divide the stem or compressible sleeve into a plurality of wedge-pieces arranged around a common center and adapted to yield transversely toward and from said center to impinge against and hold a spindle or carrier mounted centrally of said stem. Each of these wedge pieces or sleeve members is shown formed with a cam-face 6", which camfaces are similarly disposed relatively to the longitudinal axis of the carrier and have their longitudinal faces in parallelism with said axis. As a means for compressing the wedgepieces of the stem 6 I have shown herein a solid sleeve or resistance member 8, having a longitudinal bore substantially corresponding in outline with the outline of the stem 6. The bore 8' of this clamping-sleeve is shown herein as provided with a plurality of camfaces 8", extending throughout the length of said bore and in parallelism with the longi: tudinal axis thereof. These'cam-faces coincide in position and practically in extent with the cam members of the compressible sleeve 6 and are complementary thereto,being shown herein as described by curves which are arcs of equal circles, and which arcs are similarly disposed relatively to a common center. The resistance-sleeve 8 is shown as preferably provided with a nut 9, by means of which and a suitable wrench the clamping-sleeve may be adjusted to bind the compressible sleeve to the carrier upon which it is mounted.

I11 assembling the parts the resistance or clamping sleeve 8 is first slipped over the stem or compressible sleeve 6 of the knob by a longitudinal movement, the end walls 10 intermediate of the cam-faces 8 being substantially in line with the faces 11 of the wedgepieces comprising the compressible sleeve. The spindle S is then inserted into the squared central opening or bore 12 of the stem 6, which I bore corresponds in outline with the outline of the spindle, and the stem 6 is then brought into rigid engagement with said spindle by.

turning the clamping or resistance sleeve in the direction of the arrow in Fig. 1. the turning of the clamping-sleeve in said direction, the cam-faces 8 thereof ride up the corresponding cam-faces 0 upon the compressible sleeve, and thereby force the wedgepieces inwardly toward the spindle and into engagement therewith. It will be understood that the range of movement of the clampingsleeve to obtain this wedging action against the spindle is dependent upon the number of wedge-pieces into which the stem (3 may be divided. In the construction which has just been described, it will be'obvious that the cam or wedging action of the complementary cam members might be effectively exerted throughout a quarter-turn of the clampingsleeve.

In Figs. 9 and 10 I have-shown the com:

pressible stem as having three longitudinal slits G, Whichdivide the stem into three wedge pieces, having a corresponding number of cam-faces 6". In this construction it will be obvious that the clamping action would be effective, that is, it would continuallyincrease during the turning of the clampingsleeve through an arc of one hundred and twenty degrees.

In Fig. 11 another modification is shown in which the compressible stem has a single slit or bifurcation (5, extending longitudinally of the same, and that the clamping-sleeve is formed with two complementary-cam-faces Upon dleupon which they are mounted, it Will be evident that a very simple and effective securing device is obtained, by means of which the two sleeves may be brought into practically-rigid engagement with each other and with the carrier therefor.

Having thus described my invention, I claim- 1. A door-knob having an exteriorly-extending and longitudinally-slitted stem integral therewith, and forming transverselyyielding wedge-pieces, each of said wedgepieces having an external and transverselyextending cam-face disposed throughout its entire length in a plane parallel with the longitudinal axis of the stem; a spindle adapted to be engaged by said stem; and a removable clamping-sleeve having similar complementary, internal, and transverselyextending cam-faces and adapted to be turned throughout its entire clamping movement in a plane perpendicular to thelongitudinal axis of the sleeve-stem, to thereby cause the cam members to engage and transversely ride up the cam-faces of the wedge-pieces of the stem, and thereby compress said wedge-pieces against the spindle.

2. A coupling comprising a carrier having an exteriorly-extending and longitudinallyslitted compressible sleeve having cut-away portions adjoining the slits of said sleeve and having a plurality of transversely extending and acting cam members formed with their longitudinal faces in a :plane parallel with the longitudinal axis of the compressible sleeve; and a removable resistance-sleeve having-similar transversely extending and acting complementary and longitudinallydisposed cam members, and adapted to be turned throughoutits entire clamping movement in aplane perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the compressible sleeve, to

thereby cause its cam members to engage and transversely ride up the faces of the complementary cam members of the compressible sleeve, and thereby-compress said sleeve.

FRANCIS ll. RICHARDS. WVitnesses:

FRED. J. DOLE, H. J .IBINGHAM. 

